I'll Carry You Home
by Void.Of.Memory
Summary: Zelos is coming home from a "night out" and he finds someone in the forest near Meltokio. Takes place before events n ToS. Rated T for general content and some language. Inspired by the song "Carry You Home" By James Blunt.


**Hello hello hello. This is just a oneshot that made me write like a fiend for the whole day. The girl isn't anyone important, just a nameless noble girl. I don't own anything from this story, I just write about it.**

Zelos slipped between the trees near Meltokio's walls, smiling to himself. The sun was peeking around the edge of the horizon, but he hadn't been at his estate since yesterday.

Yes, it had been a good night.

But Zelos knew he had to get back. For what, he wasn't sure, but on the off chance that Sebastian would have some sort of news to report... It just wouldn't do for Zelos to not be there. After all, he had been waiting his whole life for such an announcement. Perhaps Sylverant had succeeded in regenerating their world, perhaps the king was dead. Perhaps... Perhaps perhaps. It didn't really matter thought. Zelos doubted there would ever be such news. And the fact that there wasn't, well that why he lived the way he did. Staying up so early it was late and then getting up so late it was early. The coliseum matches. The other things besides. They were all methods of limiting the conscious amount of time Zelos spent in this world.

And for the little time he did spent awake and alert, he hated every second of it.

_What I need_, Zelos though as he jogged back to the city, _is a distraction._ _A rebellion would be good. The King thinks I'm useless, and the Pope hates me. But of I were to stop a rebellion, maybe neither of them would treat me they way they do. And maybe it would restore the faith of me in the people. Not,_ Zelos corrected hastily, _that I need that part._

And he didn't. For the most part, the people of Tethe'alla loved Zelos. There were always a few, of course, that didn't like him, and they were mostly men. In the courts though, it was different. The men treated him with disdains or disgust, while their wives chased after him. He hated it. It was all driven by jealousy, and there was nothing for them to be jealous about. They only thought there was.

But a rebellion. If he could stop a rebellion, maybe the side-glances would stop. Or it might distract him for a few days. And if there are no rebellions to be found? _No problem!_ Zelos grinned. _I'll get someone to start one._

The Chosen sat down on a stump, mapping out details. He would have to be sneaky about the whole thing, if he really wanted to pull this off...

"Some people will be hurt." He muttered to himself. But it wasn't preventable. People die in rebellion, and that was that. Now, what should they rebel? It couldn't be the King. What about the Church? They could be opposing the Church. That would work. Especially if half-elves were the ones who were rebelling- the Pope hated them. As long as Zelos didn't have to come close to any of half-breeds, he'd be fine. Passing one in the street still made him remember the snow and his mother and the blood.

"Perfect." The Chosen gave himself a mental pat on the back.

But those people getting hurt. Even the dead half-elves.

The thought lingered in the back of his mind. He tried to dismiss it, but it wouldn't go. Of course it wouldn't go- all those Tethe'allans that died because or for him- they were the reason he didn't eat, or sleep soundly or like his life. They haunted him. Every time one of their faces drew itself out in his mind, Zelos felt physically sick. But he refused to forget a single one. He wanted them all to see him fail. Because if they were watching, it meant he wasn't alone.

"You, Zelos Wilder, are pathetic." He muttered to himself, sighing. Wishing on the stars his dream would come true. That's when Zelos heard the sob.

Now, if Zelos hadn't have sat on that stump, or been sitting there for the exact length of time that he had been, the sob would have gone unheard. But, Zelos was sitting there, in the proper time frame. And naturally, when Zelos heard the noise, he assumed it was an assassin. It wouldn't be the first time that there had been an attempt on his life. He pulled out the small dagger from his jacket, and stood on the stump. He cursed Lady Katherine for denying him the privilege to bring his sword to her house. No matter how many times he tried to explain it to her, that the forest was dangerous and that he could be killed without his weapons, she still wouldn't let him bring them into her household.

"Who ever you are, come out right now!" Zelos shouted. There wasn't a point in disguising his voice now- if they were here for him, then his bright pink overcoat would have given him away.

There was another sob, one that the Chosen one had to strain to hear. This second sob sounded clipped, like the producer of the noise hadn't wanted it to be heard. Zelos replaced his dagger and crept closer.

Walking as quietly as he could, he crept across the blanket of leaves and sticks. There were no more sobs, but Zelos could hear hitched breathing coming from somewhere close. Pushing his advanced hearing to the limits, Zelos tried to catch anymore small sounds. … There! Another almost sob. Zelos rushed forwards, having pinpointed the location.

What he found was far from what he expected. In a small clearing of trees, was girl about his age lying on the ground, writhing in pain. She was dressed in torn clothes that looked expensive, once. Her hair was lank and twisted in knots. There were cuts along the bottom of her feet and hands, bruises dotted her arms and a strange light glowed from the back of her left hand. Zelos felt his insides clench. She had an exsphere.

The Chosen moved closer and knelt down beside the girl. Up close, Zelos could see that she was pretty. Her hair was blond beneath the grim and her eyes were like green opals. She seemed familiar, but he couldn't place her. Her jaw was locked to stop from screaming.

Carefully, Zelos placed his hand on her shoulder. She was burning up, even with the early morning breeze that swept through the trees. A spasm ran through her muscles under Zelos' hand and another whimper escaped from her lips.

He didn't know what to do. The exsphere was too hot to touch and he doubted healing magic would much help at all. They were too far from Meltokio for Zelos to want carry her and anyway, she might give him something. There was nothing he could do. He stood and stepped away from her.

But no. He couldn't leave her here like this.

He dropped to the ground and took her hand without the exsphere into his. The girl's body jerked in his direction and her eyes caught his.

"Zelos Wilder." She whimpered. Her voice was shaky and the pitch warbled like she was about to cry.

Zelos gasped. Her voice might have been clouded with pain, but coupled with her face, he recognized her.

"You- you're from Meltokio!" He gasped. "You went missing last month."

She tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. Zelos desperately tried to remember her name, but nothing came. He understood why he hadn't saw who she was before- she had aged far more then what was normal in the month since he had last saw her.

"What happened to you?" He breathed. She seemed to be struggling to sit up, so Zelos pulled her body up against his, so that she was leaning into his chest. He silently cast first aid and her labored breathing eased.

"Scandal problems." She mumbled. The pulse Zelos could feel was beating twice as fast as his. "If it got out... My family would have been ruined."

"But how did you end up here like this?" Zelos asked. His head was buzzing slightly, like when he was around magic.

"I left Meltokio to get away. And then- they- found me. Offered an alternative to self-exile. I went with them. They gave me a room in their facility and food. And they gave me this thing." Her breath was rattling in her chest again. First aid wasn't helping. She lifted up the hand with the exsphere. The glowing had gotten brighter. "It was fine for a few days. Then it started to hurt. They kicked me out when I told them. I've been trying to get back to Meltokio since."

Zelos wondered what the scandal could be. It must have been horrid if she had to leave the city.

He nodded to himself. He would take her to the city. Someone here could help her. They had to, even if he had to pay for it himself. The girl, though he couldn't remember her name, was a high-ranking noble. He had seen her at parties hosted in the palace often enough before she had disappeared. It had been a hot topic for a week or so before the nobles got bored of it. Her family had to be worried sick.

"Come on." He picked her up under the arms and stood. "Let's take you back to the city. I'll find you some help." His hands were already uncomfortable with the heat of her skin. "Can you stand?" He moved away to see if she could stand, but the girl crumpled down. He caught her before she hit the ground, and lay her gently on the leaves again. "I'll carry you then."

She weakly shook her head. "Don't."

Zelos didn't get it. "Why? You could die if you don't get help!"

"I know." She coughed on his jacket, a new one he had gotten for his birthday, and it came away red. "I don't want to go back there."

"But why?" He demanded. The girl's writhing had stopped, but she still looked like she was hurting. Her skin was no longer burning so much either. Her eyes had were shining in the dawn light, a pale imitation of the green they had been earlier.

"They don't want me back." She tried smiling again. "But who would?"

"Why wouldn't they?" Zelos could tell something else was going on here that he didn't understand. H felt like a child, asking so many questions. He desperately tried to think of what her secret could be.

"Who wants a half-elf in the family?" She laughed bitterly. "Even you keep yours locked up."

The air rushed from his lungs. A single thought courses through his head: she was a half-elf? That's why his head was buzzing then- the magic in her blood was messing with his mind. There was a pause.

"What?" She asked quietly, "No disgust, no hated?" She sounded relieved.

Zelos shook his head. A quiet "No" slipped out before he could stop it. It wasn't a lie, though. He didn't feel uncomfortable or hatred. Juts pity and sadness.

"That's why I had to leave. My father had... A relation with an elf. Someone found out. I left before they could prove it. I didn't know myself, but..." She stopped to cough again. "I lit a fire. With nothing but my hands. That's when I knew they were right."

Pity, anger and fear. Zelos swallowed to force the emotions down. Why would someone want to black mail her like that? "We have to go back to the city." He said quietly.

She shook her head again. "No. I won't make it back."

"I could run!" He suggested, "Or-" He paused. "What do you mean 'I won't make it back'?"

"I'm dying Zelos." She murmured softly. "The exsphere is rejecting my body."

"Then I'll take it off!" He tried frantically. He wasn't sure why, but he desperately wanted to save her.

"No Zelos." Her voice was still soft. The sun burst between the branches of the trees overhead and lit the cleaning in golden light. "I don't want you to take it off."

"What?" He felt tears starting in his eyes, but he didn't move to brush them away.

"I won't be able to live with my family, not with the laws against... Against who I am."

"So you'd rather die?" His voice broke. How was she dealing with this so calmly?

"I don't have a choice. I reuse to live under their laws. Even if that means I won't be living at all." She smiled, and this time, it wasn't a grimace. "This is my choice Zelos. Let me have it."

A tear rolled off his cheek. "'Kay." another tear.

He turned stood and turned away. The Chosen one furiously wiped them off his face with the heels of his hands. Why the hell was he crying? He barely knew this girl! He didn't even know her name! But they just wouldn't stop.

"Don't go." The girl whispered and Zelos turned back to her at the sound. "Please."

He made his choice and sat down next to her and cradled her in his arms. So what if he didn't know her. That didn't mean he had to be a jackass about this. "I won't."

There was silence. The shaking had stopped completely as had the coughs. The only way he knew she was alive was the small movements of her chest and her steadily sinking pulse. Her eyes were closed and the exsphere was glowing like a small, parasitic sun.

"Thank you." She breathed into his jacket after a moment.

"For what?"

"For staying. I know you hate... My kind."

"I don't-"

"I lived across the street from you. That day when your mother was killed. Of course you hate us."

More tears. "I did, but I don't anymore."

"You don't have to lie just because I'm about to die." She laughed once, this time without the bitterness. It was a small tinkering laugh. Like bells in the wind. "Just promise me something."

"Anything." He murmured. At this point, he might have even agreed to doing his duties as Chosen.

"Please Zelos," Her voice was now to the point that the wind was taking her words. He could hardly hear her. "Please try and ease the laws for half-elves. I don't want anyone else to be like me."

"I promise." He swore.

"Good." She breathed. "And please. Take me home. Take me back to Meltokio."

"I will."

They said nothing else. The girl's pulse faded out. Zelos just sat, numb, more numb then he ever thought possible, as he watched her last breath leave her chest.

He touched he face gently. She didn't move. He kissed her forehead- her skin was cold now, as was the exsphere. He removed it from her hand, but it didn't stop glowing. He placed it in his pocket of his new jacket and picked her up off the ground. Blinking in the sunlight, he wondered how such a beautiful scene could hold so much pain. After brushing off the leaves, he started the trek back to his city he had made many times. Only this time, it was weighted with death and regret.

When he got to the city gates, the palace guards were too stunned to ask where he'd been.

_I guess they haven't ever seen me bring back a girl when I got out at night._ Zelos thought. _This whole thing feels like a dream. Maybe I'll wake up in Lady Katherine's arms and this will have never happened._

But he didn't wake. Not as he walked through the streets. Not as people followed him, their boots beating out a pulse. Not as he walked into the aristocratic quarters. By the time her got to her house, he had almost the whole city following him. Of course they would be following him; he was carrying a girl's dead body, who, it was likely known, to be a half-elf, with blood on his jacket. The noise from the crowd alone should have woken him. Yet he still didn't wake.

Not even when he got to her house and broke down on her front lawn crying.

Her family came out and saw him there, their daughter, dead, in the arms of the crying Chosen. The girl's brother, Zelos supposed, fled back into the house, taking the mother with him. The father stood on the front steps, trembling.

"Sir." Zelos croaked. "Sir, it's your daughter."

The man's wide eyes narrowed, not with sorrow, like Zelos had thought they would, but with rage.

"I heard what she really is, and she is not my daughter." He spat. "Get her out of my sight."

The words hit Zelos like a bolt of lightening, and he fell sideways, his vision blacking out as he fell.

"Chosen One, please stand. We're taking you to the castle." A guard shook him by the shoulder. The guard was a fresh-face recruit. The stupid boy had take off his helmet off and Zelos could see the nervousness in the boy's eyes. "Chosen Wilder, please."

Zelos stood slowly. Some time must have lapsed. The crowd was gone, and man had disappeared from his doorstep. As he got up, he looked around but couldn't see the girl's body. "Where is she?" He demanded.

The guard shifted uncomfortable. "We had to take her Chosen. There were reports that she was a filthy half-breed and-"

"WHERE IS SHE?" He screamed. "WHERE DID YOU TAKE HER?"

"Chosen, please calm down..."

"I will not calm down!" His chest was heaving and he pulled out his dagger. "I will ask you once more- WHERE IS SHE?"

"I can't tell you-"

Zelos howled and smashed the guard in the face. He dropped like a stone, but three others replaced him. Zelos kicked the first in the chest and slashed him across the gap in his leg armor. The knight dropped as the Chosen stabbed the second on in the neck. The third had his legs kicked out from under him. None of them got up.

Zelos ran and didn't check to see if they were alive.

He spotted a group of knights on the top of the last set of stairs to the city's gates. One of them carrying something over his shoulder. The Chosen sprinted after the group, pushing past people and knocking down anyone who got in his way.

_Nearly there..._ He thought to himself. _Come on!_

He didn't see the knight who came from behind and tackled him. Zelos hit the ground hard, and felt a bone in his wrist snap when it hit the cobblestones. He didn't even notice, and rolled out from under the guard. The knight scrambled to stand, but Zelos roundhouse kicked him in the face before he could stand. The Chosen turned on heel to keep up the chase, but it would have been pointless, he realized. The guard had only tackled him to slow him down. The rest of his platoon were behind him and had caught up to Zelos. Two of them grabbed his arm; another one trapped the Chosen in a bear hug. Roaring, Zelos broke free of the first few, but he couldn't keep it up.

"LET ME GO!" He bellowed. "I COMMAND YOU!"

The knights ignored him, smothering him.

"NO!" He screamed from under the crush of bodies. "Give her back to me! BRING HER BACK!"

But they didn't listen. The group just kept marching with the girl's body, until eventually, they dumped it in the sewers.

"Chosen One, do you mind explaining your actions to me?" The King boomed.

Zelos stayed on his knees, for once not having any snappy comments for the King of Tethe'alla. The numbness was gone. His arm was so painful, and so were the many other wounds he had gotten resisting the knights. His arm was in a sling, and his cuts dressed, but there was still pain they couldn't fix.

"One of my Royal Guards is dead, three have been given leave to heal, and another four are injured but still on duty." The King shook his head. "All for one filthy half-breed?"

"Will all due respect, Your Majesty," Zelos snarled, "She was not a 'filthy half-breed'. She was a citizen of Meltokio, a Tethe'allan, and somebody's daughter." The Chosen was suddenly on his feet. "Somebody's little girl was taken from this world not two hours ago!"

The King said nothing. Zelos glared at him for a moment, and turned his back to the King.

"Zelos." The King murmured.

Zelos turned back. "Oh pardon me, Your Majesty!" He said sarcastically. Zelos bowed low. He changed his voice to a high, warbling falsetto. "By you leave." He turned his back once more and stalked out of the palace.

"You've changed Zelos Wilder." The King shouted at the Chosen's back.

Zelos stopped with his hands on the doors of the palace, ready to push them open.

"Good." He replied, his voice coated in the pain for everything he's been through. "Because the person I was before was an asshole."

"You are not to have any more deals with the half elves." The King's mouth twisted over the last word." You are to concentrate on your duties. Let's hope you can still do them." The slamming of the heavy doors cut off anymore of the King's speech.

He pushed he door open and stepped out into the palace plaza.

"I'm going to keep my promise." He whispered. "Where anyone wants me to or not."

**So what did you think? Like it? Hate it? Suggestions? Then rate and review! **


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